From the Year 8 Dean
During Term 2, we welcomed three new students in Year 8. Chenru (Helen) Wang and Yuanbo (Alice) Qu from China and Zhuen (Enya) Zheng also from China, who is boarding with us. The students have quickly adapted to the routines of Senior School and have immersed themselves in the co-curricular offerings of the School.
In the second week of the term, the Year 8 girls embarked on an expedition to Walhalla and the Thompson River with the Outdoor Education Group. Leaving School during incredibly wet weather, they made their way to East Gippsland, where for three-days, they were immersed in activities such as white water rafting, hiking and took part in a race around the township of Walhalla. Despite the terrible weather experienced in Melbourne, the weather was somewhat kinder to our girls on camp. The students returned pleased with their efforts and what they achieved outdoors during the difficult weather conditions.
During the term, we have had a large commitment to the GSV sporting program. The students have participated in Hockey, Netball and Cross Country. Coupled with this, we had a most successful House Athletics Carnival at Duncan McKinnon Reserve.
Congratulations to all of the Year 8 girls who have been attending early morning sports training sessions, as this clearly paid off, with the Years 7 and 8 teams (Juniors) placing second in the GSV Cross Country Final. Congratulations to Isabella Bufé, Lucy Campbell, Alexandra Demetriou, Elodie Ferrali, Anouk Heidenreich, Chloe Joubert, Ava Lansell, Eliza Mailer, Olivia Shergold, Sophie Gough, Stella Heidenreich, Isabella Mangano, Tabitha Manson, Emily McAllister, Pippa Naylor, Bridget Vogel-Paul and Jessica Yang.
A special mention also to Alexandra Demetriou on placing 6th in Division 1 and Bella Bufé for also placing 10th in Division 1. Alexandra is to be further congratulated on her outstanding effort placing 9th overall in the whole competition.
At the recent Years 7 and 8 Concert at Toorak Uniting Church, we had some beautiful solo presentations. We were treated to Emily Dziedzic playing alto saxophone performing Misty, Georgina Vote on piano performing Odeon by Julio de Nazareth and Sophie Williams’ vocal solo So in Love. We also had Lucy Keilar perform beautifully in the Years 7 and 8 Saxophone Ensemble.
It was lovely to hear the delightful voices of our students in the Sherren Singers and Andy’s Choir and pleasing to listen to the enthusiastic musicians in the Years 7 and 8 Concert Band. It was a fabulous concert and we look forward to hearing more from musicians and singers in the Gala Concert in Term 3.
Congratulations to Mayuri Muralidharan on receiving her ‘green and gold tracksuit’ confirming her selection in the Australian Fencing team for Japan and the Philippines, where she will be representing Australia. Mayuri is currently in Japan training for her forthcoming Fencing competitions. Mayuri has an extremely busy schedule ahead as she will be competing across Asia during Term 3. We wish Mayuri all the best in her endeavors.
Sophia Livanidis is also to be congratulated for her outstanding effort placing 1st in Victoria and 2nd in Australia in the recent Australian Acrobatic Gymnastic Competition. Sophia is hoping to qualify for the Australian Team with more competitions ahead later this year. We wish her well in her pursuit to become a member of the Australian Acrobatic Gymnastic Team.
Congratulations is also in order for Clementine Newton-Brown and Chloe Cooper for their participation in Chess Victoria’s regional competition. This was a new experience for the students and they immensely enjoyed the opportunity to play chess at a higher level.
I am extremely proud of our Year 8 students for their various roles recently representing the School.
We recently had 11 wonderful tour guides lead the future parents of Year 7, 2018 around our School. The parents commented on their enthusiasm and their love for their School, which was pleasing to hear. Year 8 girls also led tours on our recent School Open Morning and were commended for their efforts.
We have also had several Year 8 students generously give their time in support of the Red Shield Appeal, collecting money in support of the wonderful programs they provide to the wider community.
During the term, we have continued to focus on the Emotional Intelligence Program. We had two guest speakers address issues that are relevant to girls at this level and Ms Kathryn White spoke to the girls about Social Media and the implications of posting photographs and making nasty comments online. This was followed with a presentation from Sacha Kaluri from the Motivational Company, who spoke with the girls about positive relationships and friendships with a focus on ‘thinking about how your actions impact upon others’.
As the term concludes, we have the House Gymnastic Competition to look forward to, a presentation from Miss Sally Wilkinson on subject selection and an information session next term from Mrs Gina Peele on the Term 4, Year 8 exchange.
